Halloween World: Snapshots of the Hallow Earth
by Empress of the Azure Skies
Summary: An addition to Spaceman’s Halloween World universe. Random ficlets about people, places, and events in the world plunged into endless Halloween.
1. Chapter 1

Title: Halloween World: Snapshots of the Hallow Earth

Author: DarkGoddess (aka Empress of the Azure Skies)

Summary: An addition to Spaceman's Halloween World universe. Random ficlets about people, places, and events in the world plunged into endless Halloween.

Disclaimer: I don't own Buffy the Vampire Slayer or any of the other series used in this story. Buffy belongs to Joss Whedon and all others are property of their respective owners. Halloween World was created by Spaceman and I'm responding to a challenge by him to write stories taking place in his universe.

This story is on both my account Empress of the Azure Skies and my Twisting the Hellmouth account DarkGoddess.

--

After the world was changed on the October 31, 1997, aspects of popular culture associated with the Halloween holiday were affected differently than the rest of the world.

The colors orange and black became colors of power. Inanimate objects that were these colors were more likely to absorb the chaos magic and come alive. Magic users utilizing these colors in drawing spell circles or adding them to potions found it granted their arcane greater power.

Animals associated with Halloween such as crows, owls, spiders, bats, and black cats often gained magical abilities and human intelligence.

Scarecrows, associated more with the fall season, but also Halloween to an extent, found themselves given life. Some became friendly like the Scarecrow from the Wizard of Oz, while others were possessed by demons and slaughtered innocents.

Houses decorated as haunted houses became homes to restless spirits and all sorts of monsters.

Bobbing for apples became dangerous as any tubs of water with apples floating in them became either home to demons that drowned anyone who tried to take the apples or watery portals to other dimensions, most notably the dimension of nothing but shrimp.

People who were on hayrides when the event occurred found themselves being driven aimlessly through different worlds, never to return home.

Killers from horror movies found it easy to escape into the world from television sets and even VHS tapes of their movies. Ironically many of them found themselves fodder for monsters that were once children terrified of them.

The supernatural aspects of Michael Jackson's song Thriller made it a very interesting power. Anyone or anything which heard it had to reenact the music video until the music would be never in some cases.

--

In one of the many vast wastes of a battle was raging. A group of identical blond teenage boys in orange were doing battle with an army of vampires and demons. This group of blonds was composed entirely of different versions of Naruto Uzumaki. This group has been nicknamed "The Seven Eyes." Each member of this group possessed a different set of eyes, each with unique powers. Each has adopted a new surname to be able to reflect their different eyes

The three leaders of the group possessed the Three Great Doujutsu of Naruto's world: the Sharingan, the Byakugan, and the Rinnegan. Others possessed eye techniques from other worlds including the Ultimate Eye of Pride from Fullmetal Alchemist, the Millennium Eye from Yu-Gi-Oh, the blue eyes of Fai D Flourite from Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle, and the Jagan of Hiei from YuYu Hakusho.

A huge, snake-like demon attempted to wrap itself around Naruto Samsara, the Rinnegan user, only for a vampire to leap on its back on snap its neck. The snake looked confused as it died, thinking the vampires had been on its side. What the monsters didn't know was that Samsara had five other bodies, all of which were vampires and demons that blend in with the others.

Naruto Hyuuga was using the Hyuuga family's Jyuken on a vampire. The Jyuken is a style of taijutsu that uses the Byakugan to see the chakra points in an opponent's body, and then block them by striking them with the user's own chakra. Naruto was improvising it to overload the vampire's body with the spiritual power contained with his chakra. After a few hits to areas that would be vitals in humans, the creature turns to dust and he moves on to another enemy.

Naruto Uchiha was having a much easier time than the other two. He simply released the black flames of his Amaterasu technique and watched as a large group of demons are burned down to nothing.

Naruto Bradley had to fight the old fashioned way. However, his Ultimate Eye allowed him to easily predict his enemies' attacks. The two vampires fighting him are growing increasingly frustrated by his ability to dodge all of the punches they threw at him. He creates several Kage Bunshin to distract his enemies, then forms an Odama Rasengan. When he releases it, the bunshin and vampires are both obliterated.

Naruto Pegasus wasn't fighting directly, instead he used the power of his Millennium Eye to summon Duel Monsters. He held up the Toon World card, bringing forth a huge story book. The book opened to reveal a pop-up town. From the book emerged the Toon Summoned Skull, Toon Blue Eyes White Dragon, and Toon Dark Magician Girl. A blast from the mouth of the dragon obliterated several vampires and the other two combine dark magic and lightning into an attack that takes out nearly a dozen demons.

Naruto Flourite was moving his fingers in the, leaving a line of strange runes in their wake. The monsters looked hesitant to get to close, and they found they had good reason to be afraid as several blasts of magic energy shot from the runes and ended their lives.

Naruto Jagan was a bit different from the others of the group as his eyes were both normal and his Jagan was a third eye on his forehead. Additionally he used the Jagan differently than Hiei did. Hiei used it for hypnosis, remote viewing, and telepathy (all of which Naruto also does), but also to amplify his natural powers and to control the hell fires of his home. Instead of these latter abilities, Naruto used it to control the powers of the Kyuubi, allowing him to go as high as a six tailed state before losing control and he believes with training he could stay in control with all nine tails. A concentrated blast of chakra from his mouth in his six tailed state is all that is necessary to wipe out about a quarter of the enemies.

As the Narutos stand victorious they all shout as one, "Let's celebrate with some ramen!"

--

A lone cloaked figure walked down a well worn path. All around it were trees in shapes that dwell in the darkest nightmares of children. At the edge of them were brief flashes of light, like hungry eyes watching potential prey. The red sky above provides very little light even without treetops in they way, so the forest is pitch black in some areas. Even in this terrifying scene the figure walked without hesitation or even taking note of anything around it.

The path abruptly ended in clearing bathed in the light of the full moon, which seems distorted and wrong in this place. The figure moved to the center of the clearing and removed the cloak to reveal an obviously female form. She lifted her arms to the sky and muttered something in a language that would make most men shiver in fear. Around her the forest seemed to blur and was suddenly gone, replaced by what appears to be some sort of temple.

The place is filled with an unearthly glow that doesn't appear to be generated by anything in particular. In this light the woman was in full view. She was wearing a simple but tight red dress that accented every detail of her impeccable body and showed off her ample cleavage. Her pale skin was contrasted by her long, jet black hair. Her most striking feature was her eyes. They had red irises that seem to almost glow.

All around were figures of various shapes and sizes in black robes, their faces hidden in shadow. Some were chanting in various languages. Others are sobbing or cackling madly. A few are simply sitting silently and staring upward. The faces of those looking up were visible, reveal a mix of humans, humanoids, and non-humans.

The woman also looked up and smiled. Above them was a shifting cloud of darkness that seemed to drain all the light that dares to approach it. As she stared at it, it seemed to whisper to her. She couldn't make out what it was saying, but knew whatever it was, it would probably drive most mortals to insanity.

"Lady Ayu," a deep voice interrupted her contemplation.

She turned to see a large person in a robe covered in intricate designs.

"Ahh, High Priest Gorilar," she replied in rich and seductive voice, "just the man I wanted to see. Have you prepared the ritual?"

"Yes, milady," he answered, "we only need you to complete the Dark Evocation of Blood."

She grined and her eyes seem to glow more intensely.

"Well then, lead the way," she said sweetly.

The pair walked silently through a maze of corridors. Lady Ayu's face gradually began to show signs of boredom and the glow in her eyes lessens. At last they reach a wooden door with various symbols painted in blood on it. Gorilar stands off to the side and Ayu opens the door.

Immediately her sadistic grin returned and her eyes are eyes are literally alight. Hanging upside down from the ceiling was a young man. He was badly beaten and blood is flowing from several wounds. He had sandy brown hair, though currently it is caked with blood, and he would've been quite handsome if not for his injuries.

"Our F-f-father…who ar-art in Heaven" he sobbed, "h-hallowed…b-be thy n-n-name…thy kingdom come…thy will be…"

Slightly irritated, she waved her hand and he could no longer speak.

"The only god here is Plaxuel, The Vile Blasphemous Controller of the Forbidden Woods and shall deliver only eternal suffering. Consider yourself fortunate that you will help to bring about the Age of Plaxuel. The corrupted soul of a fallen priest like you will make a fine sacrifice. You are worthless to your own God"

She extended her hand and a sword appeared in it in a cloud of black smoke. The sword's blade had a black hue to it and there were trees engraved in it. The guard resembled bat wings, the grip was wrapped in red leather, and the pommel wass shaped like a skull. In a fluid motion she cut him down and then drove the blade through his heart as he hit the floor. She raised the sword high over her head, her eyes shining more brightly than ever, her face in an expression of mad glee.

"All hail Plaxuel!"

--

Author's Note

I hope you enjoyed my take on Halloween World. I'll update as I get ideas. I appreciate constructive criticism.

Translations

Doujutsu: Eye Technique

Samsara: Cycle of Reincarnation, Rinnegan draws its name for the Japanese word for this.

Kage Bunshin: Shadow Clones

Odama Rasengan: Huge Spiraling Sphere, a larger version of the Rasengan.

Jagan: Evil Eye

Many of the aspects of the third ficlet, such as the sword design and Plaxuel, come from Seventh Sanctum.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.

--

Winston Smith took a sip from the teacup sitting before him. He still couldn't help but smile at the taste: real tea with real sugar, not blackberry leaves with saccharin. It's something he hadn't had since he and Julia had been together. That thought made him sigh, he missed her so badly. He had betrayed her, she had betrayed him, and, in the end, they had both been killed.

He's almost brought to tears by the thought of how he had been tortured and broken completely, stripped of everything he was until all that remained was loyalty to the Party and loyalty to Big Brother. When he awoke in this world, he was restored to himself, reborn as an individual again, completely free and without that ulcer that had bothered him for so long. He was lucky in that he found himself in a safe place: Yggdrasill, the Great Mana Tree. He and the others who awoke here were protected from the horrors outside by Yggdrasill and its guardian spirit, Martel. Martel was a pretty girl with long green hair, leaf-like green ears, and odd green top with long tails and white tights, wielding a staff with two green wings.

Most of the living quarters and the dining room where he's currently located are found below ground, among the roots of the tree. There was a small vestibule and a few rooms in Yggdrasill's trunk. The tree itself is very powerful, producing huge amounts of mana, or magical energy. Those living inside of it can ask the tree for almost anything they could need or want. Winston was actually starting to put on some weight from all the good food, but he found it well worth it.

He took a glance up from his book to take another look at his surroundings. Sitting at a table near him was a couple, Prometheus and Gaea, sharing a bowl of strawberries. Prometheus was a tall, handsome man and Gaea was a beautiful blonde woman. They hailed from a country not so different than his. In their country, all technology is gone and the loss of individuality is much more extreme. So much in fact, that referring to oneself as "I" rather than "we" is punishable by death. They were reading the book that tells their story Anthem by Ayn Rand.

The next group, in the middle of the room, was odd indeed. It consisted of two large cart horses named Boxer and Clover, an old donkey named Benjamin, a white goat named Muriel, three dogs named Bluebell, Jessie, and Pincher, and few other animals, such as sheep and chickens whose names Winston couldn't recall. What makes them odd is that they can all talk, something that took Winston a great deal of time to adjust to. They were part of a revolution in which they overthrew their farmer and attempted to create a utopian farm where all animals were equal. However, the pigs seized power and created an oppressive regime that would make Big Brother proud. In the end, the pigs became no better than the humans they had tried to separate themselves from. They were listening to Martel reading from a book titled Animal Farm by George Orwell.

The final man in the room was Guy Montag. He hailed from a hedonistic, anti-intellectual society in which books are banned. He worked as a "fireman," burning homes containing books, but eventually became disillusioned about his whole society and began exploring literature. His wife betrayed him, forcing him to flee for his life with a group of drifters seeking to change the society. He was reading Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury.

Winston returned to his own book, 1984 by George Orwell. He had hoped it would give him greater insights into the inner workings of the Party and any potential weaknesses, but the story is told from his perspective, so he's not finding out anything he didn't know already. He kept reading though, hoping to catch something he missed while living these events.

He had a purpose though, all of them did. Ever since they began living inside of Yggdrasill, they had begun developing strange powers from the mana flowing from it.

Prometheus, true to his namesake who took fire from the gods and gave it to man, developed pyrokinetic abilities. He also has the ability to temporarily grant life to clay statues, much like how his namesake was said to have created humans out of clay. His final power, in greatest irony, allows him to summon a huge eagle, much like the one that would eternally eat the mythological Prometheus's liver.

Gaea's powers also drew from her namesake, giving her powerful geokinetic abilites. In addition, she gained power over plants, owing to her job before running away with Prometheus.

Boxer gained super strength and the ability to harden his skin to be impenetrable. Clover, due to her motherly nature, developed very powerful healing abilities. The three dogs could fuse into a huge three headed monster, reminiscent of Cerberus. The sheep have developed a sort of hive mind that grants them much greater intelligence, as well as mind reading abilities. If Benjamin and Muriel had developed powers, Winston has yet to see them.

Guy's powers were particularly interesting. He could extinguish fires by thought alone and reform ashes into what they were before they were burned. He also had the ability to summon objects, people, and creatures from books.

Winston believed his own powers would make the Party very afraid. He could make himself invisible and completely undetectable, he can project illusions, erase memories and plant false memories in people's minds, he had limited mind control, and powerful telekinesis.

Their ultimate goal was to find a way back to their respective worlds to overthrow the oppressive governments of each of their societies. They had a huge number of books at their disposal (leading Winston to believe this place was originally a library or bookstore) and hopefully at least one will be a spell book detail how to do it.

Winston smiled and raised his cup.

"Down with Big Brother."

--

The being calling itself Leland Gaunt looked nervously out the window of his store. Things were going so badly lately. First that Sheriff, a mere man, nothing more, had beaten him. He had lost. That was totally unacceptable.

Then just as he was about to start over in a new town with a new shop, he suddenly ended up here in an exact replica of his previous shop, Needful Things. What was different this time was that it was real this time, not some illusion created by his power.

However, he took little time to ponder these things. He was constantly in danger here. There were creatures out there, both good and evil, that were more than capable and more than willing to destroy him. It was not a feeling he was used to and it was not pleasant. It had gotten so bad that he didn't dare leave the protection of his shop and was wary to allow in customers, lest they be some mighty creature in disguise seeking to devour him.

He didn't really need customers, this town was long destroyed by monsters, the only human life being the occasional group of drifters. However, it was his nature to make sales. He had been doing it since man had first started trading things of value for other things of value. If he didn't trade humans junk for their souls, he really didn't have much of a purpose.

So every few weeks some hapless person would drift in, buy something, kill some people, and then their soul would be his. It had gotten so unsatisfying, though.

Outside, he caught a glimpse of someone coming and quickly switched his sign from closed to open. As the figure approached, he noticed several others were following behind it.

They came within a few feet of his shop and he finally got a good look at them. The one leading them was a pretty Japanese girl in the clothing of a miko carrying a bow and arrow. Beside her was an Asian man in the robes of a Buddhist monk. On the other side of her was a Mexican Catholic priest. Behind them was a rabbi. Beside the rabbi was a woman in a white dress, most likely a Wiccan priestess judging by the pentacle on her necklace.

He quickly reached to turn the sign back to closed, only for the miko to fire an arrow through the door. The spiritual power in the arrow caused his hand to dissolve. He screamed with a kind of pain he had never felt in his entire existence.

He fell to the floor, clutching his stump. Before the could react, all five were standing over him, the miko offering prays to various kami in Japanese, the monk chanting Buddhist sutras in Chinese, the priest reciting the Rite of Exorcism in Latin, the rabbi praying in Hebrew, and the Wiccan invoking the power of the Triple Goddess in English.

Their combined spiritual power washed over him like cleansing fire. His body glowed white and dissolved as he screamed in an inhuman voice and was completely annihilated.

--

Huckleberry Finn glanced nervously at the sides of the river. He had been travelling south on his raft down the Mississippi River for a few weeks, but had yet to find any civilization. There are times when he would wonder if Miss Watson had been right and he had died and ended up in Hell.

Of course, if this was Hell, it wasn't nearly as bad as he had expected. There wasn't any fire and brimstone nor was there a red man with a pitchfork to torture him. He had seen some pretty strange sights, though. He shuddered as he thought about the giant blob monster that had taken a couple other monsters into itself and dissolved them.

He had been lucky though. None of the horrors had yet managed to get him.

What he didn't realize was that his luck was about to run out.

He yelped in surprise as something cold and clammy wrapped around his ankle. He cussed and tried to hit it with an oar, but no avail. He dug his nails desperately into the raft trying to keep from being pulled into the water. This also turned out to be a futile effort, as the tentacle dragged him.

As he hit the water and was pulled under, he tried to scream. The only thing that came out of his mouth was a cloud of bubbles. He struggled, trying to swim back to the surface, but the tentacle just held him into place. Eventually, black spots began to grow in his vision and he slipped into unconsciousness.

--

Author's Note

I had to read The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in English class this past school year. Needless to say I hated the book.


End file.
